Renowned Ukrainian coach Serhiy Kovalets summed up the performance of the Ukrainian national team in the group stage of Euro 2023 (U-21) and shared his opinion on the upcoming quarter-finals, in which the Ukrainians will face an old friend - the French national team.
- I believe that the decision to rotate in the match against Spain was a good one. The coaches gave the opportunity to prove themselves to the players who had previously received less workload or did not play at all, which contributes to a healthy microclimate in the team. The match against Spain showed that we have a deep reserve, high-level players who can strengthen the team in the quarter-finals.
There were a lot of good moments - both ball control and high-speed attacks. Perhaps we were a little short in the end. But the fans, I am convinced, have once again seen that we really have a team, not just a collection of talented players. The national team has a future.
At the same time, Ruslan Petrovych gave the players who had played the previous two matches at their best a chance to rest.
- Ruslan Rotan's men took the lead twice, but failed to hold on to the victory. What was missing?
- It's always unpleasant to miss out on a win at the very end of a match, but I think the final result was natural, according to the game. The Spaniards also created good chances, there was a one-on-one when Neshcheret saved. We have to accept the result and prepare for the quarter-finals.
- If you analyse the group stage of three matches, what conclusions can you draw?
- Before the European Championships, the players said that their goal was to win a ticket to the Olympics. Their performance and results prove that they were not just empty words. The guys play selflessly, with heart and bring the dream closer - Ukraine can play at the Olympics for the first time.
But now the playoffs are starting, where the price of every mistake can be decisive. Psychology is of great importance in such elimination matches.
- After the match with Spain, Ruslan Rotan said that two years ago there were a lot of critics, and no one could believe that Ukraine would be able to play on equal terms with Spain...
- It is important that the coach feels supported. I remember when Myron Markevych, an experienced national team coordinator, was once in charge, and he supported Ruslan Petrovych's candidacy, believed in him and saw his potential. Time has shown that the managers were right in their assessment. Yes, not everything worked out immediately, but any coach needs time. It is important that the coach's work is evaluated by experts, not amateurs.
The day before, I read an interview with Serhii Rebrov, who attended the match against Spain, supported the youth team and watched the candidates for the first team. Serhii Stanislavovych stressed the importance of all our national teams being trained on the same principles, the game model should be the same. Then the transition and adaptation from one national team to another is faster. Valerii Lobanovskyi once built such a model at Dynamo. As a result, we have three Ballon d'Or winners and European Cups.
- Our future opponent, the French national team, won their group with the maximum result - three wins in three matches...
- And it was the French who were our rivals during the qualifiers. We lost 0:5 away from home and drew 3:3 at home. I think this can be an additional motivation for our guys. They know what to expect from the opponent, and they will also want to prove that the defeat was accidental.
- Vladislav Vanat will miss the quarter-finals due to disqualification. How significant is this loss?
- Vanat is a forward who can add aggression to the attack, opens up well and feels the position, and has a good shot. As Rotan said, the red card will be a good lesson for him, but in the quarter-finals, everything will be in the hands of Vanat's teammates.
Sergiy Sytnyk